MSt in Diplomatic Studies

About the course

The MSt in Diplomatic Studies is a progression course and available only if you have already completed the PGDip in Diplomatic Studies.

You have the opportunity to transfer from the PGCert in Diplomatic Studies to the PGDip at the end of your first term in Oxford. If you successfully complete the PGDip then you may progress to the MSt, a distance learning course, during a second academic year.

The MSt consists of an academic year of research, undertaken on a part-time basis, and the writing of a 15,000-word dissertation under distance supervision. The dissertation will be on a topic relevant to one or more of the subjects covered in the PGDip course year.

The working language of the course is English.

Graduate destinations

Many FSP alumni have progressed to senior positions in their respective diplomatic services, elsewhere in government and international organisations, or more widely in the international field.

Related courses

Changes to the course

The University will seek to deliver this course in accordance with the description set out in this course page. However, there may be situations in which it is desirable or necessary for the University to make changes in course provision, either before or after registration. For further information, please see our page on changes to courses.

Entry requirements for entry in 2017-18

Information regarding the entry requirements for this course can be accessed at the following location:

Resources

The department is committed to supporting you to pursue your academic goals.

The Rewley House Continuing Education Library, one of the Bodleian Libraries, is situated in Rewley House. The department aims to support the wide variety of subjects covered by departmental courses at many academic levels. The department also has a collection of around 73,000 books together with periodicals. PCs in the library give access to the internet and the full range of electronic resources subscribed to by the University of Oxford. Wifi is also available. The Jessop Reading Room adjoining the library is available for study. You will have access to the Central Bodleian and other Bodleian Libraries.

The Graduate School provides a stimulating and enriching learning and research environment for the department's graduate students, fostering intellectual and social interaction between graduates of different disciplines and professions from the UK and around the globe. The Graduate School will help you make the most of the wealth of resources and opportunities available, paying particular regard to the support and guidance needed if you are following a part-time graduate programme. The department’s graduate community comprises over 600 members following taught programmes and more than 70 undertaking doctoral research.

The department provides various IT facilities, including the Student Computing Facility which provides individual PCs for your use. Many of the department's courses are delivered through blended learning or have a website to support face-to-face study. In most cases, online support is delivered through a virtual learning environment.

Depending on the programme you are taking with the department, you may require accommodation at some point in your student career. Rewley House is ideally located in central Oxford; the city's historic sites, colleges, museums, shops and restaurants are only a few minutes’ walk away. The department has 35 en-suite study bedrooms, all with high quality amenities, including internet access.

The Rewley House dining room has seating for up to 132 people. A full meal service is available daily. The department operates a Common Room with bar for students.

Funding

There are over 1,000 full graduate scholarships available across the University, and these cover your course and college fees and provide a grant for living costs. If you apply by the relevant January deadline and fulfil the eligibility criteria you will be automatically considered. Over two thirds of Oxford scholarships require nothing more than the standard course application. Use the Fees, funding and scholarship search to find out which scholarships you are eligible for and if they require an additional application, full details of which are provided.

A range of scholarships are available to students on the programmes offered by the department, along with bursary funds to assist students on low incomes. Full information on these opportunities can be found on the departmental funding pages.

Costs

Annual fees for entry in 2017-18

Tuition fee

College fee

Total annual fees

Home/EU(including Islands)

£9,670

£1,511

£11,181

Overseas

£9,670

£1,511

£11,181

The fees shown above are the annual tuition and college fees for this course for entry in the stated academic year; for courses lasting longer than one year, please be aware that fees will usually increase annually. For details, please see our guidance on likely increases to fees and charges.

Tuition and college fees are payable each year for the duration of your fee liability (your fee liability is the length of time for which you are required to pay tuition and college fees).

Additional information

Please note that this course requires that you attend in Oxford for teaching in the first year, when you are studying for the PGDip in Diplomatic Studies. The second year is non-residential. As part of your course requirements, you will need to choose a dissertation topic. Depending on your choice of topic and the research required to complete it, you may incur additional expenses, such as travel expenses and research expenses. You will need to meet these additional costs, although you may be able to apply for small grants from your department and/or college to help you cover some of these expenses.

Living costs

In addition to your tuition and college fees, you will need to ensure that you have adequate funds to support your living costs for the duration of your course.

For the 2017-18 academic year, the range of likely living costs for full-time study is between £1,002 and £1,471 for each month spent in Oxford. Full information, including a breakdown of likely living costs in Oxford for items such as food, accommodation and study costs, is available on our Living costs page. If you are studying part-time your living costs may vary depending on your personal circumstances but you must still ensure that you will have sufficient funding to meet these costs for the duration of your course.

Colleges

The MSt in Diplomatic Studies is a progression course from the Postgraduate Diploma and you will therefore retain your college membership.

The following colleges accept students on the MSt in Diplomatic Studies:

How to apply

If you are interested in applying then you should complete Form OUDCE3, which should be sent to the Director, Oxford University Foreign Service Programme, Department for Continuing Education, Rewley House, 1 Wellington Square, Oxford OX1 2JA, by mid-January of the Postgraduate Diploma academic year or the following year. A dissertation proposal should be submitted by late April of the same year.

More information will be given to students enrolled on the PGDip in Diplomatic Studies.